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Moon Camp Explorers 2022 – 2023 Project Gallery

In Moon Camp Explorers each team’s mission is to 3D design a complete Moon Camp using Tinkercad. They also have to explain how they will use local resources, protect astronauts from the dangers of space and describe the living and working facilities in their Moon Camp.

SPCS Team 1

St. Paul’s Convent School Wan Chai-Hong Kong SAR Hong Kong 13 0 / 2 English

1.1 – Project Description

A moon camp for astronauts and researchers to live their life while they explore the moon. It is also a place where they can relax, prepare for their next missions and conduct scientific experiments.

1.2 – Why do your astronaut want to go to the Moon and build a Moon Camp?

Because astronauts would like to perform lots of research and experiments on the moon and it will take a lot of time to complete the research. So by having a Moon Camp that can support astronauts to live on the Moon comfortably can allow them to take their time in doing their important research while astronauts can also rest and relax using the facilities we designed in the Moon Camp to maintain their mental wellness.

2.1.a – Where do you want to build your Moon Camp?

Close to the lunar poles

2.2.b – Why did you choose this location?

We chose to set up the Moon Camp near the south pole of the Moon. It is because water and ice can be found in that area on the moon, which will be a source of water to support our Moon Camp after we sanitised the water and make them safe for drinking and farming. The south pole also has sunlight, where our greenhouse’s crops and the animal farm both need sunlight to function healthily.

2.2 How do you plan to build your Moon Camp? Describe how you can use the Moon’s natural resources, and which materials you would need to bring from Earth.

We will use Helium-3 which can be extracted from the moon’s surface (regolith) as a source of electricity to power all the infrastructures we will build and machines that we will use to build out Moon Camp. We will also use the iron and other metals in the regolith to produce the glasses needed for our greenhouse. We will also use the by-products from extracting useful materials as the walls of other infrastructure we planned to build in our camp.

3.1 – How does your Moon Camp protect and provide shelter to your astronauts against the Moon’s harsh environment.

The two floating spheres above our Moon Camp are the three different types of machines that will help protect the camp. The higher sphere will protect our camp from meteors or space junks. It can detect objects that might hit our space camp and shoot missiles at them to make them detour. The lower sphere will send an emergency alert message to astronauts when the first sphere failed to make objects detour and will ask astronauts to evacuate from the camp. Inside our camp, we also have machines that will create gravity, which will make the astronaut able to live like how they live on Earth. We will also embed materials that will block radiation in the walls of the camp and glass so the astronauts will be protected from radiation.

3.2 – On the Moon, resources are very scarce, but during long Moon missions, astronauts cannot rely on resupply missions from the Earth. Explain how your Moon Camp will provide astronauts with sustainable access to basic needs like water, food, air and power.

We will use Helium-3 which can be extracted from the moon’s surface (regolith) as a source of electricity to power all the infrastructures we will build and machines that we will use to build out Moon Camp. The space greenhouse is full of plants and crops, and the greenhouse also has different herbs and plant spices. The greenhouse protects the crops and plants from harmful factors as well as nurturing them to grow healthily and prevent wilting for as long as possible. Astronauts can pick their fresh produce from the greenhouse and use them as cooking ingredients. A space greenhouse is an important place in this moon camp as it is the main supplier of food. The space underneath the greenhouse is a storage place for oxygen-making machines and it is the supplier of air to the space camp. The air is pumped out to each of the facilities in the space camp. In front of the greenhouse are little domes called space animal farms that contain livestock, including chickens, pigs and cows. The livestock in the space farm is fed by the plants in the greenhouse too. On the far left of the moon camp is the water tank. The water tank supplies clean water to all of the residences and facilities in the moon camp. It supplies water by pumping it into pipes which are connected to the facilities and houses.

4.1 – What would you include in your astronaut training programme, to help prepare the astronauts for a Moon mission?

As our Moon Camp has a big research dome on the far right side is the place where the astronauts conduct their experiments. We will train the astronauts how to handle all apparatus and machines that they will be using in the research dome that aids the astronauts in defining and analysing data in their experiments. We will also train our astronauts with agriculture knowledge and skills in cultivating domestic animals on the farms so that they can sustain the function of the greenhouse and animal farm in the Moon Camp. We will also equip the astronauts with cooking skills so that they can cook their meals and do not have to rely on space food.